A LAY CISTERCIAN SEEKS GOD ONE DAY AT A TIME

Hello once more. As I seek God every day as I am and where I am, I came across these resources that you might find of interest. I keep asking myself the increasingly complex question of “How does all of this fit together?” My shocking answer to myself that kept coming back was, “It doesn’t.” As the late Paul Harvey used to say, “And here is the rest of the story.” See below. Who God is and why He would love us so much is, as St. Thomas Aquinas pointed out, beyond our ability to relate that to the human condition. That same God wanted us to share in creation that He sent His Only Son, to experience all the imperfections of human existence (except sin) to tell us not to worry, if you think it doesn’t make sense, be assured it doesn’t conflict with the mindset of the World. It makes total sense as the sign of contradiction, the indelible mark on our souls with Baptism, the sign of the cross. Every day does not depend on the one after it to build on successes. That is one of the effects of Original Sin. Each day is the struggle of a pilgrim in a foreign land, uncomfortable with the religion of politics, the casuistry of secular thinking, the relativism that all choices we make are right just because we have the right to make them. Read what Bishop Barron says about choices. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fisH54IFoEw We are defined not by our abilities but our good works, or, put another way, actions speak louder than words. These good works depend upon letting Christ permeate your being with the energy of the Holy Spirit. They are good because they are the products of any good works that show Christ has transformed you, or, as Matthew wrights in Chapter 5: The Similes of Salt and Light.^*13ⁱ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.^*14You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.^j15 Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, giving light to all in the house.^k16 Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. ^l”    The light of Christ reflects through me, but only if I sit next to the heart of Christ and receive His energy. My light means I hear the word of God to the best of my ability, and keep it.    Michael  

Blessings on you all. Check out my blog site: https://thecenterforcontemplativepractice.org.  

Timothy Luke Johnson, Ph.D. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MrCSTq7yv0  

Paul Harvey, And God Made a Farmer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWjUT1RjNdQ

Warning: This video may make some uncomfortable. It is about what went on (or didn’t) in Auschwitz in WWII. It shows the heights to which humans can aspire in conditions of barbaric cruelty and the depths to which humans can sink to treat other humans with hatred and disdain. I read it to remind myself that I am capable of both grace and becoming inhuman, except for the grace of God. I find the URL compelling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPTvPccmLUM  

Bishop Robert Barron reflects on morality and conscience, and God and morality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYvbgOTGm7ghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fisH54IFoEw  

This is a wonderful rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus.

Great resources about early Church Fathers. https://web.archive.org/web/20180716100726/http://www.churchfathers.org/  

Praise be to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. The God who is, who was, and who will be at the end of the ages. Amen and Amen. –Cistercian doxology